Last week, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo described his expectations for the new 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro models later this year, including the return of the MagSafe charging connector, the removal of the Touch Bar, a new edge design and the return of more ports integrated into notebooks for expanded connectivity.
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A concept of a modern MacBook Pro with an SD card reader
Kuo did not specify which doors may be coming back, but BloombergMark Gurman said today that the next MacBook Pro models will feature an SD card reader for transferring photos taken with a digital camera and other files:
The future MacBook Pro is an example of Apple’s renewed focus on Mac followers. The company is planning to bring back an SD card slot for the next MacBook Pros so that users can insert memory cards from digital cameras. This feature was removed in 2016, to the dismay of professional photographers and video creators, key segments of the MacBook Pro user base.
The latest MacBook Pro models have only Thunderbolt ports, forcing photographers to use an adapter or dock to gain access to an SD card reader.
In his research note last week, Kuo mentioned that “most users may not need to buy additional dongles” for the next MacBook Pro, so it is possible that an SD card reader is not the only port that returns. Recently, in 2015, the MacBook Pro was also equipped with an HDMI port and USB-A ports, but it would certainly be surprising to see the latter return, given the technology industry’s transition to USB-C.
Kuo expects the new MacBook Pro models to be launched in the third quarter, which runs from July to September. They would replace the more sophisticated models of the 13-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro launched in May 2020 and November 2019, respectively. The basic model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro was updated with Apple’s custom M1 chip a few months ago.